Nicholas is an Unsprung hero

Nicholas Watts of Vine House Farm has been presented with a BBC Springwatch Unsprung Wildlife Hero award.

He and his grandson Tim, showed Springwatch presenter Martin Hughes-Games and a film crew around the conservation-award winning farm in Lincolnshire for a feature on Springwatch Unsprung.

Nicholas is an Unsprung Hero but not an unsung hero for The Wildlife Trusts who owe him and his family-run farm a million thanks.

Through a partnership between Vine House Farm and The Wildlife Trusts, 5% of bird food sales are donated to Vine House Farm customers’ local Wildlife Trust – including the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. Royalties have reached £1 million, supporting The Wildlife Trusts’ work to protect and restore areas for nature and inspire people to experience wildlife first-hand.

This wildlife-friendly farmer’s efforts in contributing towards the conservation of UK wildlife have also been recognised with an accolade at the Third Sector Business Charity Awards 2016.

Vine House Farm picked up the Charity Partnership Small Business Award for its achievements and the impacts its partnership with The Wildlife Trusts is having on wildlife in the UK.

Nicholas Watts MBE, said: “At Vine House Farm, we have always had a clear vision which still holds true today: farming in a way that encourages wildlife and the wide range of habitats it needs.

“We strongly believe that our longstanding partnership with The Wildlife Trusts will help safeguard the natural world we live in for generations to come.”

Simon Bentley, Director of Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, said: “It is a fantastic partnership that we value enormously, providing us with important funding and a first class service for birdseed to our members”.

To find out more about Vine House Farm’s conservation work and to replenish your stocks of birdfood etc visit www.vinehousefarm.co.uk